Jalen Brunson powers Knicks to 2-0 lead; Real Madrid shocks Bayern Munich

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Good morning everyone, but especially…

THE NEW YORK KNICKS

Bruised, beaten and exhausted, the Knicks just keep going – and keep winning – behind your superstar point guard. Jalen Brunson suffered a foot injury in the first half and returned scored 24 of his 29 points in the second half as New York overcame Pacemakers 130-121 to take a 2-0 series lead.

• Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo It is Josh Hart — O ‘New Knicks – had 74 points after 92 in Game 1. Brunson and DiVincenzo scored the team’s last 11 points of the game.
• Isaiah Hartenstein had almost a triple-double with 14 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.
• The Knicks trailed by 10 at halftime but outscored Indiana 36-18 in the third quarter. Practically the only thing that went wrong in the quarter – and this could be important – was OG Anunoby coming out with a hamstring injury. He didn’t come back. A phenomenal defender, he was also excellent offensively with 28 points.

New York’s ability to win without so many key players is a testimony to your resilienceJames Herbert writes from the Garden.

Oh yeah: Reggie Miller he picked up serenade with an NSFW chantand Rick Carlisle got kicked out and had some fiery post-game comments. Not a banner night for Indiana.

Honorable mentions

And it wasn’t such a good day for…

BAYERN MUNCHEN

Real Madrid has performed many miracles throughout its UEFA Champions League history.

Few, if any, compare to this. Los Blancos achieved the most surprising of all surprising (although is it really a surprising effect if they always do this?) with substitute Joselu — The little-known 34-year-old newsagent – scoring in the 88th and 90th minute +1 to give Real Madrid a 2-1 victory (4-3 on aggregate) Bayern Munchen.

It was an ending straight out of a fairy tale or a nightmare, depending on who you support.

• Afonso Davies hit one absolute rocket in the 68th minute to give the visitors the lead.
• At 88 minutes, Manuel NeuerBayern Munich’s excellent long-time goalkeeper fumbled a relatively weak shot from Vinícius Jr., and Joselu attacked. Draw game.
• At 90+1, Joselu escaped behind the defense and redirected Anthony Rudigersizzling cross into the back of the net.
• Bayern’s sadness, somehow, didn’t end. In the 90+13 minutes (yes, 13th minute of stoppage time), Joshua Kimmich threw a long ball over the top that Thomas Müller eventually headed towards Matthijs de Ligt, who caressed a house. However, the assistant referee signaled offsidethe repetition of which proved to be wrong.
• De Ligt and manager Thomas Tuchel said the assistant referee apologized after the match. Tuchel called it “disastrous” It is “like treason.” CBS Sports Rules Analyst Cristina Unkel explained how referees actually made several mistakes on the play.

Somehow this is just the Real Madrid’s fifth craziest comeback in the Champions League, writes Chuck Booth. They will face Borussia Dortmund at the final on June 1st. Here is our look too soon on what.

Not-so-honorable mentions

Nikola Jokic wins his third MVP; now he must play like a

With your Nuggets losing 2-0 to timber wolves in the second round, Nikola Jokic accepted your third career MVP award with silent enthusiasm. Still, a monumental achievement by the Serbian center is worth celebrating.

• Ninth player to win three MVPs, joining Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan It is LeBron James
• Seventh player to win three MVPs in a four-year period
• Led the NBA in nearly every major advanced metric, including but not limited to PER, Win Shares, Offensive Win Shares, Win Shares Per 48 Minutes, Box Plus-Minus, Offensive Box Plus-Minus, Defensive Box Plus-Minus and Value Over the substitute player.
• It won 78 of 99 first-place votes, surpassing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander It is Luka Doncicbetween others

Now, it’s time for him to play like the MVP – and the best of all time – he iswrites Bill Reiter.

• Reiter: “Antonio Eduardo by far he looked like the best player in this series – and perhaps in any postseason series so far. Meanwhile, Jokic, the cool, celebrated, unfazed big man, seemed more demoralized than dominant. … After the humiliation of Game 2, Jokic was asked how the Nuggets would respond in Game 3. Jokic wasn’t exactly full of confidence: ‘I don’t know,’ he told reporters. ‘We will see.’ Here’s a solution, an answer, a plan: let the MVP play like one. Let’s see it.”

Pirates promote Paul Skenes, MLB’s best pitcher, for MLB debut on Saturday

Welcome to the big ones, Paulo Skenes! O Pirates promoted the old one LSU star and No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft who shined in the minor leagues. He will start Saturday against the Cubs.

• Skenes, 21, was the No. 1 pitching prospect and No. 10 overall prospect in RJ Anderson’s Preseason Prospect Rankings.
• He’s only gotten better since then, if anything. In 27 1/3 innings with Triple-A Indianapolis this year, Skenes had 45 strikeouts and a 0.99 ERA, allowing just one home run.
• Skenes hits triple digits with his fastball and mixes in a mid-80s slider, a mid-90s splitter-sinker (a new pitch for him), a mid-80s curveball and a changeup. Basically, he’s a power pitcher with a ton of off-speed products as well.

Then, how good can Skenes be? RJ says…

• Anderson: “In our opinion, Skenes’ mainstream appeal can be attributed to a confluence of factors. He plays with a lot of strength. He was the No. 1 pick in last summer’s draft after playing for a prestigious program. He plays with a lot of strength. He is part of a power couple. And did we notice that he throws very hard? Speed ​​sells, baby; always has been, always will be. … In the magical world of baseball scouting language, you have what evaluators call guys and you have what they call dudes. A guy is just a guy; a guy is the man. I understood? Good, because Skenes certainly looks like a guy.”

What will we watch on Thursday

Game 2: Cavaliers at Celtics7pm on ESPN
Game 3: Rangers at Hurricanes7pm on TNT
Game 2: Mavericks at Thunder9:30 pm on ESPN
Game 2: Avalanche in the Stars9:30 pm on TNT
Royalty in Angels9:38 pm on FS1